CPN CPE Software Engineering study plan

Derive black-box test cases (equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, decision tables) for three small specifications and record expected results before execution

Distinguish verification from validation and classify ten given activities correctly in writing

Write measurable, testable requirements for a 15-item backlog, rewriting each vague adjective into a numeric acceptance criterion

Draft a traceability table linking each requirement to at least one test case and flag orphans in both directions

Compute statement and branch coverage by hand for a 25-line code sample and identify the minimum additional test cases needed for full branch coverage

Compare unit, integration, system, and acceptance test levels by scope, entry criteria, and typical defects found

Explain how architecture choices (layering, coupling, interfaces) affect testability, giving three concrete design-to-test impacts

Apply a structural design technique (e.g., stepwise refinement or information hiding) to decompose one module into a documented structure chart

Contrast at least five architectural styles (layered, client-server, pipe-and-filter, event-driven, microservices) by quality attributes and typical failure modes

Map waterfall, incremental, spiral, and agile lifecycles to project risk profiles and select one for a described scenario with written justification

Produce a component-and-connector view and a deployment view for a small system using a consistent notation

Identify which lifecycle phase owns each of 12 given work products (e.g., architecture description, test plan, release notes)

Implement one small module applying defensive programming, clear naming, and consistent error handling, then refactor it to remove duplication

Configure a version control workflow with branching, meaningful commit messages, and a pre-commit check, and demonstrate it in a repository

Set up a static analysis or linter run and triage its findings into fix, suppress, and false positive

Describe how a build pipeline (compile, test, package) reduces integration risk, citing the specific failure each stage catches

Classify ten maintenance requests as corrective, adaptive, perfective, or preventive and rank them by risk and effort

Perform impact analysis on a proposed change using call graphs or dependency listings, listing affected modules and regression tests

Write a configuration management plan covering identification, control, status accounting, and audit for a small project

Define three quality metrics (e.g., defect density, change failure rate, mean time to repair) with data sources and thresholds

Build a work breakdown structure for a 12-week project down to tasks of 8-40 hours and estimate each using at least two techniques

Compute critical path, total float, and schedule risk for a 20-activity network, and identify the top three schedule threats

Produce a cost model distinguishing labor, tooling, and rework, and calculate cost variance given planned versus actual figures

Apply a review technique (inspection or walkthrough) to a peer artifact, recording defects by type and phase found

Identify and mitigate five common security weaknesses at the design and coding level (input validation, authentication, authorization, secrets handling, dependency risk)

Threat-model one feature using data flow diagrams and a structured technique such as STRIDE, producing ranked mitigations

Specify security and non-functional requirements (performance, availability, usability) with measurable acceptance criteria

Select appropriate tooling for requirements management, testing, and CI, justifying each choice against team size and constraints

Complete two timed mixed-domain practice sets and score each by domain to expose weak areas

Re-derive the five most-missed concepts from scratch without notes and explain each aloud or in writing

Review every prior deliverable against a personal checklist of recurring errors and correct at least five defects

Build a one-page exam-day reference of formulas and definitions (coverage, critical path, cost variance, lifecycle criteria) that you can reconstruct from memory